A writer and former news editor, I may not have the answers, but I will ask questions.
Why "MuttonChops"? Check out my introduction to the blog: http://muttonchopsbyiris.blogspot.com/2008/06/culling-herd.html

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

As I write this, a friend is on Facebook making a strong plea for people to be more open minded regarding the plight of immigrants. The so-called facts offered by conservatives are skewed, and my friend is trying to set the record straight.He comments: "They are being exploited and having their basic human rights denied as we speak. ... 3,000 US CITIZENS have been detained by ICE because of the assumption they are illegal -based mostly on the color of their skin. Once in ICE's system, undocumented immigrants do not have a right to an attorney or trial, they are imprisoned indefinitely and abused while in custody (Raped and beaten) until released into countries many have never known. Now the government plans to extend the same treatment to US citizens accused of being terrorists, turning us over to the US military for indefinite detention, without trial."He also explains: "Facts prove that undocumented labor is the backbone of our economy in the state. Farmers are pushing for immigration reform so they can get enough labor for the fields and hog farms. (The cause of America's problems:) NAFTA, BIG Bank speculation, the greed of the 1 %, the world wide labor force that will work for dimes on the dollar. ICE predicted they would go after 400,000 undocumented criminals a year for capture and deportation- they couldn't find enough so roughly half are non-criminals; mothers caring for kids who are simply stopped for a traffic violation."Of course, his conservative "friends" are retorting with comments like, "Immigrants are taking American jobs," and "They should all be deported." Unfortunately, it's comments like these that breed racism. I know people who are Americans by birth, speak with a southern accent, work hard, and yet are still called "wet-backs" because they are of Latino descent. Everyone has a right to an opinion, but when the mind is closed, the person will never get accurate facts to make a choice for an intelligent and informed opinion. I get frustrated with people who regurgitate the same rhetoric without trying to find out if their comments are accurate. Chances are, if the statement is short and repetitious, they are coming from a closed, robotic mind.The uninformed are perpetuating lies and propaganda while spitting in the face of our ancestors who invaded (yes - invaded and brutally took over) an occupied nation. Our civilization merely deteriorates with the destruction of humanity at the hands of bigots.